


Unlike a forest

by Solovei



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Asexual Character, Breakfast, Brother-Sister Relationships, Cousins, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Pre-Canon, Sibling Bonding, but really its more of a
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 07:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3373166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solovei/pseuds/Solovei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lalli receives an offer he's not entirely sure about. Takes place 3 years before the start of the comic, in Keuruu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unlike a forest

**Author's Note:**

> This came around because a) I love sibling-type relationships and b) a lot of people seem to have an Asexual!Lalli headcanon, so I decided to combine the two.

Tuuri noticed something was wrong when they sat down for breakfast that morning. Her cousin was usually barely awake, but today he seemed preoccupied, anxious. As she set down a bowl of porridge from the canteen line in front of him, she wondered if something happened during his shift - he was 16 now, old enough to be sent out alone, without a more experienced scout to guide him.

She didn't want to press it, though. They had known each other long enough for her to trust in the fact that if he had wanted to tell her something, he would.  
And so he did, just as she was about to put the spoon into her mouth.

"Tuuri, what does it mean to 'go steady'?" It was very hard to resist spitting out her breakfast, but that would be impolite, so instead she took a long drink of her tea and hoped that Lalli would not notice the blush in her cheeks. Even if he did, he wouldn't say anything; he was nice like that.

"Um, it means... well, it means you like someone and spend a lot of time with them." She explained, as simply as she could manage.  
"... I spend a lot of time with you and Onni..." the lanky boy mused. Her brother had taken it upon himself to teach him some spells, and she heard them occasionally, voices almost merging together until the older of the two would stop and frown and say that this or that syllable was wrong.  
"Not like that," Tuuri said, shaking her head. "This is... like, taking them out to the dances, or... I guess... um... doing couple things ..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, searching for an example Lalli would understand. "Like Tapio and Mielikki?" *  
Lalli looked at her for a minute before finally taking a few bites of porridge. "Is that all?"  
"I guess so, yeah. Why do you ask?"  
"Well... you know Maija? At the gatehouse?"  
The name rang a bell. She was about her brother's age, a mousy-haired girl with braids and a serious expression. They had spoken a few times when Tuuri was sent to collect paperwork... sometimes she would spot her at the canteen and wave, though her greetings were rarely returned.  
"Yes, but what-- Lalli, did Maija... did she ask you to go steady with her?" She asked, eyes sparkling, a grin spreading on her plump face. The scout looked away, pulling his hat over his face. "I... I didn't know what to say so I ran away..."  
Tuuri covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the excited giggle she could not hope to contain. She loved her cousin dearly, but it was nearly impossible to picture him with ... well anyone, really. He seemed to spend most of his waking hours in his own head, when he wasn't out scouting the forest.  
"Well, do you like her? Do you think she's pretty?"  
The hat descended further. "I don't know... I think... I think the forest is pretty."  
"I know you do, but this is different. Do you, you know... do you want to do things with her? Together, just you and her?" By this point she could only see his mouth under the hat. "I don't knooooow~" he said, drawing up his knees and burying his face in them.  
  
Tuuri sighed and looked around the canteen. People were filing in for breakfast now, chatting as they waited in line; she usually got up earlier so she could eat with Lalli, and Onni wandered in some time later; he was not a morning person. Finally, she lifted up the hat slightly, peeking under it. "Do you want me to talk to her?"  
He didn't answer, but turned his head to look absently at the now-cold remains of his porridge. "Is it bad? That I ... I don't... " Although he never finished his sentence, Tuuri knew what he meant, and sighed again, although her smile had long faded by now.

"No, Lalli, of course not, it's... it's just who you are, okay? And maybe one day you'll meet someone that you'll like a lot, but if you never do, that's fine too. I mean, look at Ms. Koskela, she doesn't have a husband or anything and she seems really happy."  
Across the table, the scout smiled faintly.

**Author's Note:**

> *Finnish forest gods. Mielikki is Tapio's wife; both feature in the Kalevala.


End file.
